


No Man Left Behind

by 9shadowcat9



Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27270838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/9shadowcat9/pseuds/9shadowcat9
Summary: His brother’s smile as he set up a simple table inside a tent, preparing for his first sermon. He was meticulous, placing a bowl of snacks on the table with a jug of water. He wanted this to be a place people could belong, even if it was just to shelter from the Georgia heat for one or two hours.A tale about the beginnings of Eden’s Gate.
Kudos: 5





	No Man Left Behind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Wealthywetsunny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wealthywetsunny/gifts).



Georgia is a state made of farmland and woodland. It had some nice beaches and mountains, but it was in the country. John, a successful lawyer who had worked his ass off to get to where he was, hated it. But Joseph was insistent that _this_ was where the message would start. He had been so proud, even refusing John’s money.

That was probably why John was still here. Joseph hadn’t taken his money.

And that made trudging across farmland in a suit bearable. His brother’s smile as he set up a simple table inside a tent, preparing for his first sermon. He was meticulous, placing a bowl of snacks on the table with a jug of water. He wanted this to be a place people could belong, even if it was just to shelter from the Georgia heat for one or two hours.

And that was what made the end of the evening, as Joseph cleared up the uneaten snacks and put away the chairs, all the more painful for John. No one had come and Joseph was still smiling. But why? Wasn’t Joseph trying to warn people about God’s plan? To warn them about the end?

“We can’t expect success on the first attempt.” Joseph merely reassured. It was relaxing to look into Joseph’s eyes, to look at the clear blue irises which were just as beautiful as John’s. “The Voice is guiding us, all we can do is keep trying.”

It went against everything John was, to watch the repeated failures. It was so bad that Jacob had started attending the ‘sermons’ out of pity, not wanting to leave Joseph preaching to an empty tent like a madman. But Joseph never seemed to falter. Every week, Joseph would place those little snacks and the jug of water. John… John wanted to cry.

Because Joseph was being mocked behind his back and didn’t care. Didn’t even seem to realise.

Because the people were mocking Jacob. His unkept beard and dirty clothes, even though John had offered to pay to have them cleaning or replaced. Jacob had gotten a job on a nearby farm instead, with a kind elderly couple who didn’t mind having the Seed brothers for dinner. Their kind smiles had dimmed only when they’d learned the Seeds were staying in a tent, and that Jacob had considered trying to take their straw for a bed.

Suddenly, the Seeds were being invited over for dinner more often and Jacob had had a small pay rise.

Joseph continued his preaching, taking a small job on a different farm for extra money, never faltering in his devotion to God. Not even faltering when he was fired because he was heard talking to himself. John found himself moved though, because Joseph’s devotion was something John craved. The bible had been tainted for him as a child, ruined by entire nights of memorisation. The hefty, hardback book placed in front of a small child who was too weak to pick it up himself.

But Joseph’s Word? That was something John could believe in.

And as others started to walk in, they started to believe as well. People from Joseph’s old job, the homeless Joseph helped with the little money he had. The kind elderly couple who had listened to Joseph over dinner so many nights. Runaways who sought shelter with whoever would keep them safe. 

Their congregation grew, and John started to believe himself. Although, part of that could be because he couldn’t really bring himself to question Joseph’s word. He’d given up everything to be with his brothers, if he doubted now… what did he have left? Certainly not his job. And not his home, which had been sold so John would have no ties to his previous life.

John only had his brothers now. Joseph, Jacob and the Word.

He’d watched Joseph blossom, his sermons growing more and more charismatic as the people listened, both enraptured and afraid by his words. Joseph knew things, things that no one should know. He preached honeyed words of warning, weaving a web that attracted the poor and disenfranchised. He preached in that tent for months, until one day his words changed.

Then they started stockpiling weapons.

Weapons they didn’t have licences for and no one could actually use. Here, Jacob shined. He found a new purpose, teaching people to defend themselves. Jacob cleaned his beard and changed his clothes, becoming a new man.

He became strong, just like John remembered. 

People started coming to John, whispering their sins and begging for repentance. And John offered it, baptising them in nearby rivers like he’d seen done at the Duncan’s church thousands of times as a child.

This continued for a while. John had found his calling, his place to belong. He was finally doing good, helping the people around him. Taking their sins and flesh, leaving them clean and innocent. He’d learned that as a child too, when the Duncan’s had beaten the sin out of him until he was good and pure.

The people here listened and accepted him. They listened to all the Seeds.

Until the police started sniffing around.

Weapons without a licence. Rumours about people being killed. Blackmail. Kidnapping. 

Now, John would admit to the blackmail. It had been a necessity since they couldn’t afford to stay anywhere and John hadn’t wanted to move the tent _again_. But murder?

Joseph had listened to the police, offered placating nods of understanding and snacks, before declaring that it was suddenly time to leave. The Voice was calling him to Montana of all places. A good 30 hour drive, with guns hidden under where Jacob sat.

Joseph led the pilgrimage with his gentle smile and stern words, and John followed. As did the rest of Eden’s Gate, who had finally found a place to belong.


End file.
